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- I Got Emrata’s “Revenge” Extensions and They Made Me Wish I Had Someone to Divorce
I Got Emrata’s “Revenge” Extensions and They Made Me Wish I Had Someone to Divorce
by
Ruby Feneley
Getty/Raymond Hall/Gotham/Supplied
Last week, Emily Ratajkowski became the face of “Baddie Summer,” the 2022 version of “Hot Girl Summer” and a pioneer in the realm of social media breakups.
The cause? A savage TikTok and a well-timed hair extension slay.
Ratajkowski set the internet on fire with a savage TikTok aimed squarely at her alleged serial cheater, soon-to-be ex-husband Sebastian Bear-McClard.
“When he thinks he’s a 10 because he pulled you, but you like ugly men,” she wrote, serving a masterclass in turning someone to ash someone without mentioning their name at all.
Related: Emily Ratajkowski and Sebastian Bear-McClard Reportedly Split Following 4 Years of Marriage
There’s nothing like a supermodel scorned, especially when they have 1.7 million followers on TikTok. 6.7 million views later, fans were revelling in her “God-tier” break-up behaviour and the commencement of Em Rata’s “Villain Era.”
Just a few days later Ratajkowski rolled around in Bear-McClard’s (metaphorical) ashes a little more, strutting Soho’s streets after swapping her shoulder-skimming blunt cut for bellybutton length hair extensions. Some women just like to watch the world burn.
Why Baddie Beauty is Trending (and What This Means for the Break Up Bob):
@esmanlbnt #hairstyle #hairstyles #haare #friseur #hair #hairtutorial #haarestylen ♬ yt is chillytunees – chillytunees
There’s a strong case for it the break-up-bob. It’s a little bit French, a little bit subversive and celebrities from Princess Diana, to Ana de Armas and Khloe Kardashian have gone for the chop after cutting off a toxic rello. Indeed, it’s rumoured Mia Farrow’s pixie cut played a pivotal role in her divorced from Frank Sinatra.
But the “baddie” beauty trend has racked up 12.8 billion views on TikTok thus far, and it’s knocking both the lob and the pixie off their breakup beauty perches.
Related: Siren Eyes vs. Doe Eyes: How to Get the TikTok Trend
Part of the baddie trend is the kind of “villain” “witch” and “siren” TikToks we’ve been drip-fed for months. It’s all about Big Demonic Energy, with long hair that suddenly feels less Disney Princess and more Brother’s Grimm — dark, sexy and cool.
So, I trundled off to Emilly Hadrill Hair and Extensions, Paddington with high hopes.
My Emrata Hair Transformation:
As you’ll see below, my hair was having a moment. I’ve been red for a few months, but it had been a long time between touch-ups. My desired “Sansa-Stark-in-the-Godswood-copper” was nowhere to be seen. Instead, I was rocking a washed-out patchy strawberry with several-inch mousy brown roots. First, Jonathan from Emilly Hadrill workshopped my desired colour with me — namely, a lot brighter, a lot more copper.
Jonathan did a pretty masterful job considering my hair when I walked in was nowhere near where I wanted it to be. We matched my extensions to my imaginary hair colour, and I was impressed by just how many different variations of red and copper were in Jonathan’s magic kit. Most extensions involve a blend of different shades to create a natural dimension — we played with a deeper brown under red, before landing on two shades of copper.
Related: The “Botticelli” Haircut Trend Has Summer Written All Over It
Once my natural hair was my longed-for gleaming copper, the extensions were attached. There are several different types of extension, but we landed on tape extensions for my hair type, and the benefit of quick application.
Tape hair extensions are generally placed 2cm from the scalp, but in my case, two pieces were attached higher up at the front to blend an unfortunate accidental “Jellyfish hair’ job I had in December.
The extensions go in long, like down to your waist long. I had requested volume and just a bit of length, but as I looked at my waist-length hair I did have a moment of regret — maybe I wanted to feel like Anya Taylor Joy in The Witch!
Alas, it was too impractical, and my witchy locks were soon chopped to below shoulder length, slightly longer and much more voluminous than my previous cut. It was a fun 10 minutes, though.
Why Baddie Hair Is the Only Thing I’m Committing to This Summer:
I can absolutely see why Emily Ratajkowski opted for extensions post-break-up. My main fear was that the extensions would look awkward and unnatural, but Jonathan matched them to my new copper perfectly and because they’re human hair extensions, they blended right in texturally.
Personally, I’m with Emrata and all for drastic hair changes during a breakup. The truth is, nothing tricks your brain into forgetting you dated a) a cheater b) a gaslighter c) a fiscal republican or d) all three than new hair. It’s the beauty equivalent of skipping town and assuming a new identity. But, a brutal chop is a high risk, especially when there’s fragile post-breakup self-esteem on the line. Hair extensions are low commitment, and high impact and they get results.
Related: Got “That Girl” Hair Envy? These 5 Products Will Give You TikTok-Level Shiny Hair
The response from the general public was instant — from co-workers to friends, baristas and total strangers, the compliments rolled in. Even though my hair wasn’t bellybutton length, it was lush and the confidence boost was well worth the awkward adjustment period of suddenly having slightly more hair than I knew what to do with.
In fact, I found myself wishing I had a cheating ex to torch on TikTok. In summary, like Emrata, hair extensions are the only thing I’ll be committing to this newly announced “Baddie Summer”.
Hair Extensions Need to Know:
Hair extensions range from $250 to $2,320, depending on the quantity and style of extension required. Natural hair extensions like the kind used at Emilly Hadrill can last nine months. Unlike synthetic extensions, the hair itself can withstand heat styling much like human hair. Importantly, you don’t need to go for a big impact. For natural volume with a few inches of length, I got 20 pieces.
You’ll be booked in for follow-up appointments that run every six weeks, where the extensions will be moved and placed in line with your natural hair growth. With natural hair extensions, you can wash and style as normal, but avoid anything oily near the scalp as this risks weakening the solvent.
I would recommend going somewhere that does colour and cutting as well as specialising in extensions, as the excellent colour job added to my total hair joy. Emilly Hadrill Hair and Extensions operate in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast so if you’re not based in Sydney, never fear.
